Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Steven Spielberg pops by the Episode I set, checking out Natalie Portman's blaster. Spielberg has a long association with Star Wars, from being the only director pal of Lucas' to express enthusiasm at a famous rough cut screening — he predicted it would make $100 million — to creating pre-vis for the Anakin-Obi-Wan duel and the Yoda-Palpatine battle in Sith. After E.T.s appeared in the background of Episode I's Senate scene, Expanded Universe author James Luceno dubbed the character Grebleips — Spielberg backwards.